25. Arizona Wildcats
QB Khalil Tate combined for over 3,000 yards of total offense and 26 touchdowns a season ago. Easily one of the nation’s most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks, the Los Angeles native could be a sneaky Heisman contender. The arrival of Kevin Sumlin could result in an even more potent offensive attack. Duly, the Wildcats return virtually its entire defense (including three-year defensive coordinator Marcel Yates). This team has the look of a darkhorse within the wide-open Pac-12 South Division.
24. Utah Utes
This could be the best Utah team Kyle Whittingham has had since the Utes joined the Pac-12 nearly a decade ago. Last year’s bunch featured a mass amount of sophomores. Now, all of those guys are upperclassmen. The QB-RB combination of Tyler Huntley and Zack Moss is one of the better one-two punches in the conference. Duly, you know any Whittingham-coached team will include toughness, physicality, and strong special teams play. This might be the breakthrough year in which Utah finally wins the South Division.
Image Sources: Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports, Neville E. Guard/USA TODAY Sports, Jennifer Buchanan/USA TODAY Sports